Pop-up Shop Offers Refugee Women a Taste of Entrepreneurship    

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When refugees arrive in a new country, they bring little to no material possessions. But many bring something more valuable: their talent and skills.  Twenty refugee women and asylum-seekers from different parts of the world recently came together at a pop-up store in Phoenix, Arizona, to display their homemade products and tell their compelling stories.   The details and the countries may be different, but their stories are strikingly similar.  Personal stories Nada Alrubaye was an art teacher who fled Iraq. "I had two boys. One, my young boy, was killed in Baghdad," she said. "I decided to go to Turkey with another son because I wanted to protect him." They arrived in Arizona four years ago.   Rodain Abo Zeed came from Syria. "I escaped from Syria seven years…


Refugee Women Get a Taste of Entrepreneurship    

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When refugees arrive in a new country, they bring little to no material possessions. But many bring something more valuable: their talent and skills.  Twenty refugee women and asylum-seekers from different parts of the world recently came together at a pop-up store in Phoenix, Arizona, to display their homemade products and tell their compelling stories.   The details and the countries may be different, but their stories are strikingly similar.  From Iraq Nada Alrubaye was an art teacher who fled Iraq. "I had two boys. One, my young boy, was killed in Baghdad," she said. "I decided to go to Turkey with another son because I wanted to protect him." They arrived in Arizona four years ago.   "I escaped from Syria seven years ago when the war started," said…


Facebook Ends Six-Country Test of Two Separate News Feeds

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Facebook Inc on Thursday put an end to a test of splitting its signature News Feed into two, an idea that roiled how people consumed news in six countries where the test occurred and added to concern about Facebook's power. The test created two streaming series of posts. One was focused on photos and other updates from friends and family, and a second was called an "explore feed." It was dedicated to material from Facebook pages that the user had liked, such as media outlets or sports teams. The social media network decided to end the test and maintain one feed because people told the company in surveys they did not like the change, Adam Mosseri, head of the News Feed at Facebook, said in a statement. "In surveys, people…


US Markets Fall on Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Announcement

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U.S. stocks sank in another dizzying day of trading Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump promised stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, worrying investors about possible retaliation by other countries. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 420.22 points, or 1.68 percent, to 24,608.98, the S&P 500 lost 36.16 points, or 1.33 percent, to 2,677.67 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 92.45 points, or 1.27 percent, to 7,180.56. Trump said his administration would impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum. The news took Wall Street by surprise and caused concerns in the markets for companies that rely on aluminum and steel. Shares of Boeing fell 3.5 percent, General Motors dipped 4 percent and Ford dropped by 3 percent. Large technology companies also suffered, including Apple and Google-parent…


Trump: US Will Impose Steel, Aluminum Tariffs Next Week

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President Donald Trump announced Thursday the United States will impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Trump said tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports will be in effect for a long period of time. He said the measure will be signed "sometime next week." In a Twitter post earlier Thursday, Trump said that "Our Steel and Aluminum industries (and many others) have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world." At the Thursday meeting, Trump said the NAFTA trade pact and the World Trade Organization have been disasters for the United States. He asserted "the rise of China economically was directly equal to the date of the opening of the World Trade Organization."  Trump told…


Equifax Finds Additional 2.4 Million Impacted by 2017 Breach

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Equifax said Thursday that an additional 2.4 million Americans were impacted by last year's data breach, however these newly disclosed consumers had significantly less personal information stolen. The company says the additional consumers only had their names and a partial driver's license number stolen by the attackers, unlike the original 145.5 million Americans who had their Social Security numbers impacted. Attackers were unable to get the state where the license was issued, the date of issuance or its expiration date. In total, roughly 147.9 million Americans have been impacted by Equifax's data breach. It remains the largest data breach of personal information in history. The company says they were able to find the additional 2.4 million Americans by cross referencing names with partial driver's license numbers using both internal and…


Facebook Launches Job Search Feature for Low-Skilled Workers

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Facebook wants to make it easier for people to find low-skilled jobs online. After testing the new software in U.S. and Canada since last year, Facebook added job postings Wednesday in another 40 countries across Europe and elsewhere. The software works with both Apple and PC operating systems. Users can find openings using the Jobs dashboard on Facebook's web sidebar or its mobile app's More section. The search can be filtered according to area and type of industry, as well as between full-time and part-time jobs. Users can automatically fill out applications with information from their Facebook profile, submit the applications and schedule interviews. Businesses can post job openings using the Jobs tab on their page, and include advertisements. Separately, Facebook announced the introduction of a face recognition software that…


Moon to Get Its Own Mobile Network

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Several high-tech companies are teaming up on a plan to put a mobile phone network on the moon next year. Vodaphone Germany, Nokia, and Audi are working on a mobile network and robotic vehicles that are part of a private expedition to the moon, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary year of the first manned lunar landing. The project with PTScientists in Germany would use a 4G network to send high-definition information from rovers back to a lunar lander, which would then be able to communicate it back to Earth.  Project scientists say the system uses less energy than having rovers speak directly to Earth, leaving more power for scientific activities.  They plan to launch the vehicles from Cape Canaveral next year on a Space X Falcon 9 rocket. …


Could Winning Super Bowl Play Be Winning Marketing Ploy?

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A company’s value is often tied to the message it portrays to customers. But what happens when other companies try to take advantage of your brand? Take the Philadelphia Eagles, for instance. The American football team wants to exclusively own the phrase: "Philly Special.” That was the trick play that helped them win the Super Bowl, and the Philly Special is, by far, the most talked-about play of the Super Bowl. Watch the play here: It is a gutsy move. In football-speak, it is a direct-snap reverse pass to quarterback Nick Foles, who usually throws the ball. But the coach gives the OK, and Foles tells his teammates the plan in the huddle. The team lines up, Foles runs up the field. Tight end Trey Burton throws the football, and…


Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods Crack Down on Gun Sales  

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Two major U.S. retailers changed their gun sales policies Wednesday in the fallout over a Florida high school massacre. Walmart, the country's biggest retailer, announced it is raising the age restriction for buying guns and ammunition to 21. “We take seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller,” it said in a statement.  Walmart is also dropping toys and other items that resemble assault-style weapons from its website. The retail giant stopped selling assault-style guns in 2015 and does not sell handguns except for its stores in Alaska. Earlier Wednesday, Dick’s Sporting Goods announced it would no longer sell assault-style rifles or any gun to anyone younger than 21. The chain went one step further and urged Congress to ban assault-style weapons and raise the minimum age. The alleged Parkland…


New Operating Systems, Improved Cameras on Display at Barcelona’s Mobile Phone Congress

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The world's biggest mobile phone trade fair, the Mobile World Congress, or MWC, opened earlier this week in Barcelona, Spain. Except for Apple, which traditionally stays away, all other big and small phone manufacturers and developers are displaying their wares as they continue to battle a market valued at $478 billion in 2017. VOA's George Putic has more. ...


Indexes Point to Cooling Growth in China This Year 

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Growth in China’s manufacturing sector in February cooled to the weakest in more than 11/2 years, raising concerns of a sharper-than-expected slowdown in the world’s second biggest economy this year as regulators tighten the screws on financial risks. The weakness was driven by disruption to business activity by the Lunar New Year holidays and curbs to factory output from tougher pollution rules, but there are worries of a bigger loss in momentum. “Although a recovery looks possible in the short-run as the anti-pollution campaign winds down, the risk is still that the economy fares worse this year than is generally expected,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China Economist at Capital Economics. Index raises concern The official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released Wednesday fell to 50.3 in February, from 51.3 in January.…


US Proposes Anti-dumping Duties on Chinese Aluminum Foil

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The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday recommended raising import duties on Chinese-made aluminum foil it said is being sold at unfairly low prices due to improper subsidies to producers.   The ruling was praised by the Aluminum Association, a trade group that pressed the case and said cheap imports were threatening thousands of jobs.   Beijing faces complaints from the United States, European Union and other trading partners that a flood of Chinese aluminum, steel and other exports are being sold at unfairly low prices, threatening jobs abroad.   The Commerce Department said it concluded Chinese exporters were selling aluminum foil at 49 to 106 percent below fair value and were receiving unfair subsidies of 17 to 81 percent of the goods' value.   Importers will have to post cash…


Ford, Miami to Form Test Bed for Self-driving Cars

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Ford Motor Co. is making Miami-Dade County its new test bed for self-driving vehicles. The automaker and its partners — Domino's Pizza, ride-hailing company Lyft and delivery company Postmates — are starting pilot programs to see how consumers react to autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles. Self-driving startup and Ford partner Argo AI already has a fleet of cars in the area making the highly detailed maps that are necessary for self-driving. Ford also will establish its first-ever autonomous vehicle terminal in Miami, where it will learn how to service and deploy its test fleet. More services will likely be introduced as the partnership goes on, including Chariot, an app-based shuttle service owned by Ford. It's all part of Ford’s effort to find viable business models for fully autonomous vehicles and get…


White House Reaches Informal Deal with Boeing for Air Force One

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U.S. President Donald Trump has reached an agreement with the Boeing Co to provide two Air Force One planes for $3.9 billion, the White House said on Tuesday. "President Trump has reached an informal deal with Boeing on a fixed-price contract for the new Air Force One Program," Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told Reuters. He said the contract will save taxpayers more than $1.4 billion, but those savings could not be independently confirmed. Trump has said Boeing's costs to build replacements for Air Force One aircraft - one of the most visible symbols of the U.S. presidency - were too high and urged the federal government in a tweet to "Cancel order!" The Boeing 747-8s are designed to be an airborne White House able to fly in worst-case security…


Fed’s Powell Nods to ‘Gradual’ Rate Hikes, Close eye on Inflation

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, pledging to “strike a balance” between the risk of an overheating economy and the need to keep growth on track, told U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday that the central bank would stick with gradual interest rate increases despite the added stimulus of tax cuts and government spending. Fed policymakers anticipate three rate increases this year, and Powell gave no indication in prepared remarks to the House Financial Services Committee that the pace needs to quicken even as the “tailwinds” of government stimulus and a stronger world economy propel the U.S. recovery. “The [Federal Open Market Committee] will continue to strike a balance between avoiding an overheating economy and bringing ... price inflation to 2 percent on a sustained basis,” Powell said in prepared remarks for his…


New Study Finds Diverse Audiences Drive Blockbusters

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Just as "Black Panther" is setting records at the box office, a new study finds that diverse audiences are driving most of the biggest blockbusters and many of the most-watched hits on television. UCLA's Bunche Center released its fifth annual study on diversity in the entertainment industry Tuesday, unveiling an analysis of the top 200 theatrical film releases of 2016 and 1,251 broadcast, cable and digital platform TV shows from the 2015-2016 season. Among its results: minorities accounted for the majority of ticket buyers for five of the top 10 films at the global box office, and half of ticket buyers for two more of the top 10. "There has been some progress, undeniably. Things are not what they were five years ago," said Darnell Hunt, director of the center,…


‘Disagree’ Banned on China Social Media

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Authorities in China have launched an intense crackdown on online commentary in the wake of a proposal by the country’s communist party leaders to amend the constitution and scrap a two-term limit on the president’s time in office. A wide range of phrases in Chinese have been banned such as “constitutional amendments,” “constitution rules,” “emigration” and “emperor.” Even the phrase “I disagree” has been blocked from China’s SinaWeibo social media site. Many were caught off guard by the announcement and the response online has been persistent, despite efforts to silence the debate. The announcement comes a little more than a week ahead of meetings for China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress. During the gathering, which wraps up around mid-March, the proposal is widely expected to become China’s new reality. And…


Microsoft, Justice Department in Showdown Over Foreign-stored Data

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The U.S. Justice Department and Microsoft will face off against each other Tuesday when the Supreme Court hears arguments on whether tech companies’ desire to protect user data is at odds with the government’s interest in pursuing criminals who use the internet. The case, known as United States v. Microsoft Corp., has global implications and could potentially trigger an international backlash, subjecting Americans’ data to seizure by foreign governments, legal and digital rights experts warn. “The case is important for privacy, it’s important for security, it’s important for the future of the internet,” said Jennifer Daskal, a professor at American University Washington College of Law. At issue is whether a U.S.-based email provider can be forced, under the 1986 Stored Communications Act, to turn over communications stored outside the United…


Likely Centrist Brazil Presidential Contender Says He Would Sell Petrobras

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The governor of Sao Paulo and likely centrist presidential candidate Geraldo Alckmin said on Monday that he would privatize Brazil's state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA if he wins the elections in October. Alckmin, who has single digit support in opinion polls, said during a television interview with Band TV that he favored private ownership of Petrobras, as Brazil's biggest company is known, as long as the sale was conducted within a strict regulatory framework. Once a taboo issue in Brazilian politics because of national sovereignty concerns, the privatization of Petrobras is set to become a campaign issue this year as Brazil struggles to bring an unsustainable budget deficit under control. Brazil's left fiercely rejects the sale of Petrobras, but the leftist leader leading early opinion polls, former President Luiz…


Trump Org. Donates Foreign Profits, But Won’t Say How Much

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The Trump Organization said Monday it has made good on the president's promise to donate profits from foreign government spending at its hotels to the U.S. Treasury, but neither the company nor the government disclosed the amount or how it was calculated.   Watchdog groups seized on the lack of detail as another example of the secrecy surrounding President Donald Trump's pledges to separate his administration from his business empire.   "There is no independent oversight or accountability. We're being asked to take their word for it," said Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Most importantly, even if they had given every dime they made from foreign governments to the Treasury, the taking of those payments would still be a problem under the Constitution."…


Greece Enters Final Round of Reform Talks With Creditors

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Greece entered a last round of reform talks with creditors Monday, just five months before the country's massive rescue program ends — and with the government and central bank publicly disagreeing on how to finance the nation after the bailout.   Government officials said the talks with representatives of Greece's European partners and the International Monetary Fund in Athens would cover privatizations and energy.   But the negotiations were upstaged by a continued spat between Greece's central bank governor, Yannis Stournaras, and the government over financing policies after the bailout runs out in August. The country will then have to raise money from international investors in bond markets — at a much higher rate than bailout creditors charge.   Stournaras repeated his argument that the government should consider setting up…


Cryptocurrency Newcomers Cope With Wild Swings

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After researching digital currencies for work last year, personal finance writer J.R. Duren hopped on his own crypto-rollercoaster. Duren bought $5 worth of litecoin in November, and eventually purchased $400 more, mostly with his credit card. In just a few months, he experienced a rally, a crash and a recovery, with the adrenaline highs and lows that come along. "At first, I was freaking out," Duren said about watching his portfolio plunge 40 percent at one point. "The precipitous drop came as a shock." The 39-year-old Floridian is part of the new class of crypto-investors who do not necessarily think bitcoin will replace the U.S. dollar, or that blockchain will revolutionize modern finance or that dentists should have their own currency. Dubbed by longtime crypto-investors as "the noobs" — online…


NASA Builds Atomic Clock for Deep-Space Navigation

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Only days after the spectacular liftoff of what is currently the heaviest space rocket, the privately built Falcon Heavy, NASA announced the next launch will carry a specially built atomic clock. The new device, much smaller and sturdier than earth-bound atomic clocks, will help future astronauts navigate in deep space. VOA’s George Putic reports. ...


French Farmers Heckle Macron at Agricultural Fair

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President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday faced heckles and whistles from French farmers angry with reforms to their sector, as he arrived for France's annual agricultural fair. For over 12 hours, Macron listened and responded to critics' rebukes and questions — only to return home to the Elysee Palace with an adopted hen. "I saw people 500 meters away, whistling at me," Macron said, referring to a group of cereal growers protesting against a planned European Union free-trade pact with a South American bloc, and against the clampdown on weedkiller glyphosate. "I broke with the plan and with the rules and headed straight to them, and they stopped whistling," he told reporters. "No one will be left without a solution," he said. Macron was seeking to appease farmers who believe they have no alternative…


Investor Warren Buffett: Good Deals Hard to Find on Wall Street

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Investor Warren Buffett says Wall Street’s lust for deals has prompted CEOs to act like oversexed teenagers and overpay for acquisitions, so it has been hard to find deals for Berkshire Hathaway. In his annual letter to shareholders Saturday, Buffett mixed investment advice with details of how Berkshire’s many businesses performed. Buffett blamed his recent acquisition drought on ambitious CEOs who have been encouraged to take on debt to finance pricey deals. “If Wall Street analysts or board members urge that brand of CEO to consider possible acquisitions, it’s a bit like telling your ripening teenager to be sure to have a normal sex life,” Buffett said. Berkshire is also facing more competition for acquisitions from private equity firms and other companies such as privately held Koch Industries. Sticking with…